Kroger Announces includes Food as Medicine at its Expo

Kroger has announced its plans for The Wellness Experience outdoor festival in partnership with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jewel.

It is Kroger’s third annual wellness festival and will take place Aug. 20 - 21 in downtown Cincinnati.

The Wellness Experience is a two-day in person festival with live music, celebrity-led workouts and cooking demonstrations, mental wellness talks, beauty demonstrations, panel discussions, a food expo, and family-friendly activities. "The events of the last year have put a significant spotlight on the importance of overall health," Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health told Progressive Grocer.

"It is more important than ever to foster empathy and open dialogue around our well-being, including physical, mental and emotional health. The Wellness Experience inspires and uplifts our full selves in an energetic, educational and fun way." This year, there is an interesting new part of the program that just about every food retailer will be watching carefully – it the Food As Medicine Expo, available on both festival days. Consumers will be able to  explore Kroger Health's Food As Medicine strategy through product sampling (more on this in a bit), cooking demonstrations and expert insights curated to empower better decision-making in the kitchen and disease prevention. Earlier this year, FMI’s board unanimously supported a Food as Medicine initiative. FMI reports that 44% of consumers point to health and nutrition priorities for their meal ideas, retailers and suppliers continue to develop health-focused strategies to help shoppers stay inspired with easy meal solutions.

Another interesting strategy to take note of is that while entry to the festival is free, in order to sample products at the Food As Medicine Expo, attendees are encouraged to donate one Kroger, Private Selection or Simple Truth nonperishable item in exchange for a sampling wristband. No canned-food donation? For those who pass, sampling wristbands are $5 and can be purchased at the entrance. The donated food will be given to local food pantries for those in need.